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Frequently asked Questions about about Import into India:
 What
documents are required for import customs clearance of goods into
India?
How
safe are the Indian Port & Bonded warehouse?
For
Full Container loads - is it better to ship the goods as Loose Load
or in Plywood Liftvans?
Are all goods sent to India physically examined?
Can
the goods be customs cleared before I arrive into India?
Should
I be personally present during customs examination?
I
live in a city in India where there is no Sea Port? So how do I
clear my consignment.
Howe
long does it take for customs clearance & delivery to residence?
I
want my goods to be delivered in the shipping container - Is this
possible?
FAQs about Import Duties & Transfer of residence
Under
what rules can good be imported?
What
is the difference between Transfer of residence & Unaccompanied
baggage?
Who
is eligible to avail Transfer or residence?
Are
all my goods dutiable under Transfer or residence?
Can
I import all my goods under Transfer or residence?
Will
customs duty be levied on old and used Personal Effects and Household
Goods under Transfer of residence?
I
have some new furniture & personal belongings, which, are not in
the list of 17 articles. Are these goods dutiable.
What
happens if the goods exceed the free allowance limit?
Can
other members of a family also claim duty concessions under transfer
of residence?
I
do not carry any dutiable goods when I into India. Can I use my
free allowance at the time of arrival into the
country be used for my unaccompanied baggage?
If
I claiming Transfer of Residence concessions - do I have to remain
in India?
What
are the allowances for import of professional equipment?
FAQ About Import of Gold, Silver & Jewelry
Am
I allowed to import gold into India?
Am
I allowed to import Silver into India?
Am
I allowed to jewellery into India?
FAQ About Import of Food Stuff
Am
I allowed to import food stuff into India?
FAQ About Import of Wine, Alcohol & spirits
Am
I allowed to import Wine, Alcohol & spirits into India?
What
are the general goods that I must not ship into India?
FAQs about Import of Pets:
Am
I allowed to bring in my pets into India?
Q. What documents are required for import customs
clearance of goods into India?
ANS. To import goods through Indian custom we require Importers
Original Passport, Original bill of lading (Signed on Reverse),
Inventory of articles ( Please mention Value, Make, Model, Serial
number & Year of purchase for electronic & high value goods)
Other forms like Transfer of Residence Forms, Unaccompanied baggage
forms, Declaration, Authorisation letter etc. will be provided by
us - for your signatures.
Q. How safe are the Indian Port & Bonded
warehouse?
ANS. Generally the Indian ports are safe provided adequate care
is taken. However in some Indian ports, there have been stray incidents
of pilferage or mix up with other consignments. We suggest the use
of plywood liftvans or crates for high value & small loose items.
Q. For Full Container loads - is it better to
ship the goods as Loose Load or in Plywood Liftvans?
ANS. It is always safer to ship goods in plywood liftvans. However,
due to the high costs it may not always be possible to do so. So
we suggest the use of plywood liftvans or crates for high value
items.
Q. Are all goods sent to India physically examined?
Ans: Yes, generally all import consignments are physically inspected
100% as per Indian customs regulations. However, we find that in
some cases if there is a proper packing list and if the goods randomly
checked, tally with the packing list the customs officially do not
check all goods but only open about 20 or 30%.
Q: Can the goods be customs cleared before I
arrive into India?
Ans: No, all goods can be custom cleared only after arrival
of owner of the goods into India.
Q: Should I be personally present during customs
examination?
Ans: Owner's personal presence is generally a must and is advisable.
This is required to answer any queries of the customs officers.
However, In cases, if owner cannot be present due to exceptional
circumstances, a power of attorney can be executed in favour of
a friend, relative or us, provided completed customs forms should
be duly signed and attested.
Q. I live in a city in India where there is no
Sea Port? So how do I clear my consignment.
Ans: In cases where there are no Sea ports? Consignments can
be booked upto Inland Container Depots (ICD) - Such facilities re
available in Major Cities like Delhi, Bangalore & Hyderabad.
However, there are certain restrictions for Less Than Container
Load (LCL) consignments. In such cases goods have to be moved from
the port of entry to ICD under customs bond - which involves providing
a bank guarantee & filing a personal bonds etc with customs.
However a word of caution - Customs bond can be very expensive &
time consuming - so it is always advisable to clear goods at the
port of entry.
Q: Howe long does it take for customs clearance
& delivery to residence?
| Activity |
FCL Shipments: |
LCL Shipments: |
| Unloading from vessel & Placement of container
or de-stuffed goods in Customs bonded warehouse: |
Day 1, 2 & 3 |
Day 1 to 8 |
| Customs Inspection and assessment of duty |
Day 4 |
Day 9 |
| Payment of duty and release of goods: |
Day 5 |
Day 10 |
| Delivery in same city as POE & unpacking
of goods: |
Day 6 & 7 |
Day 11 & 12 |
| Delivery in different city as POE: |
Add 2 to 3 days |
Add 2 to 3 days |
Q. I want my goods to be delivered in the shipping
container - Is this possible?
ANS. A shipping container is treated as an bonded item which
is allowed into the country duty free since it will be shipped back.
Hence the container must remain within the Port or Customs area.
However, there are provisions to take the container to the residence
provided necessary bank guarantee is given to the shipping line.
The common practice is to destuff the goods on to smaller vans for
deliveries. This is also done because of the restrictions for movement
of large vehicles in most Indian cities.
FAQs about Import Duties & Transfer of residence
Q: Under what rules can good be imported?
Ans: Household goods can be imported in to India under Transfer
of Residence or As Unaccompanied baggage.
Q: What is the difference between Transfer of
residence & Unaccompanied baggage?
Ans: Under transfer or residence goods can be imported at an
concessional duty of 15% whereas under unaccompanied baggage the
duty is 40%.
Q: Who is eligible to avail Transfer or residence?
Ans: Indians, foreigner, including those of Indian origin, transferring
their residence to India or coming to India on employment, can import
their personal effects & household goods into India under Transfer
of Residence rules. However, some of the other conditions which
apply are that the owner of the goods must have stayed abroad for
a minimum period of 2 years, further the owner must not have visited
India for more than six months in the preceding two years. The law
also states that the goods must be shipped out within 30 days of
arrival of the owner into India. If there is a delay then goods
can be cleared only if the delay is condoned by the customs authorities.
Every case is decided on its merits. Foreign nationals must have
a resident / business / work / entry visa to avail transfer of residence.
Q: Are all my goods dutiable under Transfer
or residence?
Ans: No, Personal effects and house-hold goods like furniture,
clothes, books, kitchenware, small appliances like mixer, juicer,
iron etc. are allowed to be imported duty free if these goods are
old and have been used by you.
Q: Can I import all my goods under Transfer
or residence?
Ans: No, as per the latest update to the Indian Baggage regulations
as on 8 Jan 2004, under transfer of residence, besides used furniture
and personal effects, following items can be brought in to India
duty free.
- Video Cassette Recorder or Video Cassette Player or Video Television
Receiver or Video Cassette Disk Player.
- Washing Machine.
- Electrical or Liquefied Petroleum Gas Cooking Range
- Personal Computer (Desk Top Computer)
- Laptop Computer (Notebook Computer)
- Domestic refrigerators of capacity up to 300 litres or equivalent
Under Transfer of residence duty for the following items the import
duty has been reduced to 15%
- Colour Television or Monochrome Television.
- Digital Video Disc Player.
- Video Home Theatre System.
- Dish Washer.
- Music System.
- Air-Conditioner.
- Domestic refrigerators of capacity above 300 litres or its
equivalent.
- Deep Freezer .
- Microwave Oven.
- Video camera or the combination of any such video camera with
one or more of the following goods, namely:-
a. Television Receiver;
b. Sound recording or reproducing apparatus;
c. Video reproducing apparatus.
- Word Processing Machine.
- Fax Machine.
- Portable Photocopying Machine.
- Vessel.
- Aircraft.
- Cinematographic films of 35 mm and above.
- Gold or Silver, in any form, other than ornaments."
Q. Will customs duty be levied on old and used
Personal Effects and Household Goods under Transfer of residence?
ANS. No, under transfer of residence rules, duty is not levied on
used personal effects and household goods which are more than 6
months old.
Q: I have some new furniture & personal
belongings, which, are not in the list of 17 articles. Are these
goods dutiable.
Ans: Yes, new items less than 6 month old will be dutiable @
40%.
s
Q. What happens if the goods exceed the free
allowance limit?
ANS. Customs duty @ 40 % has to be paid on the excess value
of the goods
Q. Can other members of a family also claim duty
concessions under transfer of residence?
ANS. Transfer of residence concession is provided to a family
as a whole. Individual members of a family cannot claim additional
concessions.
Q. I do not carry any dutiable goods when I into
India. Can I use my free allowance at the time of arrival into the
country be used for my unaccompanied baggage?
ANS. No. The duty free allowance of Rs. 12000/- is available
for consumption only at the arrival. It cannot be combined for any
unaccompanied baggage shipments coming by air or Sea freight.
Q. If I claiming Transfer of Residence concessions
- do I have to remain in India?
ANS. No, under the new baggage rules there is no such compulsions.
Q. What are the allowances for import of professional
equipment?
Ans. An Indian passenger who was engaged in profession abroad
can import professional equipment free of duty upto the value of
A) Rs. 10,000/= if he or she is returning after three months of
stay abroad
B) Rs. 20,000/= if he or she is returning after six months of stay
abroad
Professional Equipment means such portable equipment, instruments,
apparatus and appliances as are required in his profession by a
carpenter, a plumber, a welder, a mason and the like and shall not
include items of common use such as cameras, cassette recorders,
dicta-phones, personal computers, typewriters and other similar
articles.
FAQ About Import of Gold, Silver & Jewelry
Q. Am I allowed to import gold into India?
Ans. Yes, if you are an Indian Passport holder or if you are a person
of Indian origin (including minors) you can import upto 10 Kgs of
gold in any form at a time. However, please note that you must be
coming to India after minimum of 6 months of stay abroad. Duty is
payable @ Rs. 250/- per 10 grams in convertible foreign exchange.
However please note that the gold includes primary gold & ornaments
other than those studded with stones or pearls.
Q. Am I allowed to import Silver into India
ANS. Yes, if you are an Indian Passport holder or if you are
a person of Indian origin (including minors), you can import upto
100 Kgs of silver in any form at a time. However, please note that
you must be coming to India after minimum of 6 months of stay abroad.
Duty is payable @ Rs. 500/-per Kg. However please note that the
silver includes silver in any form including ornaments other than
those studded with stones or pearls.
Q. Am I allowed to jewellery into India?
ANS. Yes, anybody who has been staying abroad for over one year
and is returning to India are allowed to import jewellery free of
duty up to a value of - Rs. 10,000 in case of a male passenger and
Rs. 20,000 in case of a female passenger. Import of jewelry in excess
of the these value will be dutiable
FAQ About Import of Food Stuff
Q: Am I allowed to import food stuff into India?
Ans: Yes, if you are a Foreign national - you can import foodstuff
in the main household goods shipment duty free up to a limit of
Rs. 50,000/= (USD 1050/=). Besides Foreign nationals who are resident
in India can import foodstuff worth Rs. 1,00,000 Per Annum (USD
2100). However, please note that Wine, spirits, beverages, etc.
are not allowed duty free under this facility. It is also important
that payment for the foodstuff must be made out of funds of the
foreign national available outside India.
FAQ About Import of Wine, Alcohol & spirits
Q: Am I allowed to import Wine, Alcohol &
spirits into India?
Ans: Yes, you can import wine, Alcohol & spirits, however,
please note that the import duties on such items are very high -
Approximately - 244%. We would also like you to note that it is
not advisable to import liquor into India as most international
brands of liquor are available in India at reasonable prices. However,
If you must ship Wine or Liquor, please pack them separately and
clearly mark them so it is easily identifiable. If you do not disclose
them - it could lead to unnecessary problems with customs if found
during physical examination.
Q: What are the general goods that I must not
ship into India?
Ans: Well like in most countries - Porno-graphic material, obscene
literature, narcotics, wildlife items like ivory, horns etc and
firearms, ammunition and other weapons should not be bought into
India. Should you need further information please contact us prior
to shipping.
FAQs about Import of Pets:
Q: Am I allowed to bring in my pets into India?
Ans: Yes, the importer is allowed to bring in either one dog,
one cat or parrot into India. However, Veterinary certificates &
other health documents are a must. Should you need further information
please contact us prior to shipping.
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